68 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



sketch of, a Little Owl mobbed by Robins, a Wren, 

 Great Tits, Blue Tits, Marsh-Tits, Chaffinches, and a 

 Blackbird, on November 11. 



In 1893 a nest containing several young was found 

 in the park at Lilford, on May 13. I had authentic 

 reports of one or two other broods on Wadenhoe, and 

 another near Lyveden ; and on August 15 the victim 

 of the above-mentioned attack informed me that, some 

 six weeks before, he had again been violently assailed 

 by a Little Owl in the churchyard at Wadenhoe. I 

 have some reason to believe that there was a brood of 

 these Owls in Wadenhoe church-tower. On Decem- 

 ber 22 I was pleased to hear from a lady living at 

 Stoke Doyle that several of these birds had made a 

 settlement in some old trees near her garden. With 

 the exception of the bird killed at Normanton, and 

 another at Elton, I have not heard of the death, by 

 human agency, of any Little Owls in our district, 

 although a few have been picked up dead from natural 

 causes. I generally receive my consignments of these 

 birds during June ; very few come for food to the 

 feeding-boards after the first week in August, and we 

 leave off feeding about the middle of that month. 

 These Owls delight in taking the sun, and are active 

 during the hours of daylight. They are infinitely 

 useful in the destruction of voles, mice, sparrows, 

 and insects of many kinds, and have a decided liking 

 for earth-worms. In Spain the Little Owl is very 

 common and resident : from my own experience in 

 that country I am disposed to think that it prefers 

 the crannies of old buildings for nesting-purposes to 

 any other sites, but it nevertheless frequently takes 

 possession of hollow trees, and I have more than once 

 found it breeding on the ground amongst the roots of 



